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Parent Gift allows HSU Students to Make a Difference in Humboldt County Schools

Parent donors Richard and Sandy Lambie recently funded a project at Humboldt State that not only helps psychology students, but also empowers them to help grade schools in the local community.

The Lambies wished to find a meaningful way to express gratitude for their daughter's education at HSU. When they learned the Psychology Department was trying to find funds for high-quality testing instruments, Richard and Sandy stepped in to help.

The Lambies funded the purchase of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Edition 5. This allows the Psychology Department to enhance learning with state-of –the-art psychological tests that can be applied in the real world. These assessment tools are benefitting HSU students as well as children, families, and educators in Humboldt County.

The Psychology Department’s proposal had been one of 25 projects that were determined to be “high priority” by the campus community. The project was featured in Humboldt Loyalty’s Donor Voice program, a creative initiative that invites donors to rank the potential projects for funding through the Humboldt Loyalty Fund and Parent & Family Fund.

But the proposal was one that did not receive funding, and so the Lambies decided to fund it themselves.

Making a gift to the Psychology department made sense to the Lambies since their daughter Sarah received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Humboldt State in 2009. “We wanted to do something to show appreciation for the education and support Sarah received,” Sandy explains. “They made time in their lives to be mentors, even after she graduated. Sarah came into her own at HSU. She found her voice here. This is our way of saying ‘Thank you.’ ”

Richard and Sandy have enduring memories of the Humboldt State community. It was at HSU where Sarah met her husband. And when Sarah had an emergency appendectomy, an HSU nurse wouldn’t leave her side until Sandy arrived in the middle of the night. Personal memories like these have strengthened the Lambie’s ties to the community they’re now helping.

Professor Sangwon Kim of the Psychology Department is truly grateful for the Lambies’ decision to fund the project. “I’m touched by their generosity. I can’t thank them enough for being supportive of our students.”

Professor Kim teaches HSU Psychology students how to administer the Wechsler Scale. Professor Kim explains the test’s application and its far-reaching benefits: “In my class students learn step by step to score [the Wechsler Scale] and make sense of the data for teachers and parents. HSU students go into local schools and help teachers develop plans to improve learning outcomes for grade school students in the community.”

Sandy says that Humboldt State was fabulous for her daughter. “Sarah’s HSU Psychology degree prepared her well for her Masters program,” she says. Sarah graduated with a master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Seattle Pacific University, and she now works for Tuolumne County, CA using her psychology background to improve the human resources experience.

Sandy says that when it comes to giving back to education, no amount is too small. “We hope to encourage others by setting an example for our daughter and other potential donors. We knew a modest gift would have a real impact at HSU. It’s rewarding to think about how our gift might benefit students in the long run.”

Department of Psychology

Realize Human Potential

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